BE HEARD in the Workplace Act
House Committee Reviews BE HEARD Act to Expand Workplace Harassment Protections to Gig Workers
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- This proposal aims to stop workplace harassment by requiring businesses with 15 or more employees to have clear anti-discrimination policies and provide regular training for both workers and bosses. It also expands legal protections to include independent contractors, interns, and volunteers who were often left out of these laws in the past.
- Tipped workers, such as servers and bartenders, would see a major change in their pay. The plan would slowly raise their base hourly pay over several years until it matches the standard federal minimum wage, ensuring they do not have to rely as heavily on tips to make a living.
- To help workers seek justice, the bill would ban 'forced arbitration' clauses that prevent employees from suing their employers in court. It also limits the use of 'hush money' agreements, or nondisclosure agreements, that stop victims from speaking out about harassment or discrimination they experienced on the job.
- Workers would get much more time to report problems. Instead of the current limit of roughly six months, people would have up to four years to file a formal complaint about discrimination or harassment. This gives victims more time to process what happened and find legal help.
- The government would provide new grants to help low-income workers get legal advice and representation. It also creates a national task force and regular surveys to track how common harassment is across different industries and find better ways to stop it.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
Life & Work
The bill lowers the threshold for employer coverage under Title VII from 15 employees to just 1 employee, meaning every small business in the country would now be subject to federal anti-discrimination law. Businesses with 15+ employees must also adopt mandatory nondiscrimination policies and provide regular training, with fines of up to $5,000 per offense for willful violations. These new compliance obligations could be costly and burdensome for the smallest employers.
Programs
Disabilities
Milestones
Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, House Administration, Oversight and Government Reform, and Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
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News
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Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
BE HEARD in the Workplace Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(17)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.